Contribution of Society and Owners of Buildings in Conservation of Architectural Heritage in the Arab World. (Case Study: “Rawdat Sudair, Saudi Arabia”)

Abstract

This research aims to study the experience of local people in conserving architectural heritage and to benefit from that in preserving other historical sites. The need for this study is important because: Conservation of cultural and architectural heritage is not merely a government responsibility. The participation of local people in architectural conservation has many benefits. Motivating people to preserve architectural heritage is the responsibility of cultural and educational bodies. The study discusses historical architectural sites in Saudi Arabia. It concentrates on the inhabitants' and owners' role in the conservation of architectural heritage, since, nowadays most of the historical sites were taken care of by the governments. The tools of this research are better than the previous working methods, because, previous models neglect the inhabitants' and owners' role in the conservation of architectural heritage, Methods of this study include literature review, site visits, and interviews with inhabitants and visitors of the Case Study. It also includes site visits to similar historical sites, lectures highlighting the importance of architectural heritage to improve public awareness and to motivate people to take part in the conservation of architectural heritage. The study found conserving, preserving, or rehabilitating traditional buildings cannot be the duty of the owner only or the responsibility of the governments alone.

Urban Heritage in Saudi Arabia: Comparison and Assessment of Sustainable Reuses

“…Determann [12] argues that, for most of the twentieth century, the architectural heritage in Saudi Arabia was synonymous with the monuments linked to the Saudi ruling dynasty, the Al Saud. Sqour [13] lists some heritage sites that have been restored under the sponsorship of the Saudi government. The author highlights that public authority is usually keen to preserve places related to the nation's history and religion.…”

“…The public initially conceived the conservation and adaptive reuse plan in collaboration with the private sector. Rawdat Sudair is an extraordinary example of collaboration between the local community and the government [13].…”

Sustainable Neighbourhood Evaluation Criteria -Design and Urban Values (Case study: Neighbourhoods from Al-Mafraq, Jordan)

“…Traditional Neighbourhood seeks to create compacted neighbourhoods; containing different types of residential units, a friendly pedestrian environment, mixed land-use, and a well-defined identity that encourages citizens to take responsibility for the preservation and development of the environment. Thus, the daily activities are within walking distance as the residential units are near transport stations, connected to networks of streets and close to commercial and institutional activities (Carmona 2015, Abbas and Najat 2019, Sqour et al 2022b.…”